warren and his suors st chs ha the cherokee nation asking the senator for an apology. >>> and could democrats turn arizona blue this november? mney's lead in the poll is shrinking and the senate race is heating up. please share your thoughts with us on facebond on twitter ing #edsw. e right back. >>> welcome back to "the ed show." thanks for watching tonight. mitt romney held a manufacturing roundtable in bedford heights, ohio, today and he welcomed to the age someone who was well mikeowe "dirty jobs" on the discovery channel, and you may also know him from the ford television commercials. today he shared the stage with romney without actually endorsing him. >> he is nonpartan, he not here to endorse , he not re td support to one campaign or another. he's here to talk about his ideas. >> sure. mr. rowe did offer some ideas, and he talked about the kinds of people he cares about. >> the people who keep the the toilets to work, the people who pick up roadkill, the people who paint the bridges, the people who farm, the people who mine. >> it's safe to say there is a candidate for presi

about for years is medical marijuana in massachusetts elizabeth warren came out in favor of decriminalizing or legalizing medical marijuana making it like just another prescription drug more than half the nation fifty six percent supported isn't this a winning issue and why don't more politicians realize that. you know because while there i don't know i don't know why more people don't choose commonsense issues to run on but i just think it just shows how irrelevant they are and their platforms and their parties to the majority of american voters and citizens i am running on legalization and keep premarital marijuana medical marijuana legal in california because that's under that's under assault obama continues although he hasn't for a while but it's always looming sending federal troops into oakland and trying to. you know come against everything he says about states' rights when he's talking about marriage equality he says oh it should be up to the states and it's a state's right issue but he doesn't say medical marijuana as a state's right issue at all either and neither

senate on the issue of elizabeth warren's ethnicity and what he thinks it really is. >> professor warren claimed that she was a native american, a person of color, and as you can see, she's not. that being said, she checked the box and she had an opportunity, actually, to make a decision throughout her career, when she apply to penn and harvard, she checked the box claiming she was a native american. and you know, clearly she's not. >> clearly. "clearly she's not." that was how he opened up his first debate against elizabeth warren. the very first ad that scott brown aired after that first debate was not an ad addressing any specific issues in the country or in the senate race, but rather an ad attacking elizabeth warren on the basis of race. scott brown has had a campaign website up for weeks in which he describes elizabeth warren as a, quote, fake indian. that's the language he uses on his website. after all of that, scott brown said yesterday while he did not condone the tomahawk chop, war whoop, making fun of native americans behavior by his senate staffers, he said that he did think

visibilities, you see areas like dulles. a quarter mile visibility. warren and orange, half-mile visibility. in the advisory baltimore to annapolis, that's a slow ride on 97. i'm hearing from -- all the way up to pennsylvania. check this out. we had just a lone shower or two overnight. that's pulling into northeastern maryland. not much on the radar. just the fog being the bigger concern. temperatures low to mid-60s north and west of town. we're sitting at 70. 74 in prince frederick, easton. the warmer air not that far away. 4:27. let's check in with beverly farmer in for monika with timesaver traffic. >>> you said it about the fog, just an example of what we're dealing with, the camera in springfield. it's pretty much covered in fog. dense black conditions because of the fog. normally we'd see traffic there but you can't see that well. we already have report of an accident involving a deer on the bw parkway northbound close to route 32, an example of what else we're dealing with this weather that anything that hops out in the fog isn't going to work now. traveling on 66 thru lan

a challenge from democratic candidate elizabeth warren. i use the word desperate on purpose. after releasing one ad attacking elizabeth warren on the basis of race, after his staffers were caught childishly mocking native americans with the whole tom hawk chop and war whoop thing, after the cherokee nation asked scott brown to apologize for that and he refused to do so, after all that scott brown has put out a second ad just today again attacking elizabeth warren on the basis of race. the scott brown campaign must have some amazing internal poll numbers showing that a race-based campaign is working wonders for him. because i don't know how else you explain this. it's not a whisper campaign, anonymous flyers on windshields in church parking lots like we used to expect for this sort of thing. this comes straight from the campaign unapologetically. just to be clear as a bell about what the story is. it's not that scott brown has ever disproven or anybody has ever disproven that elizabeth warren has native american ancestry. it's not been disproven. it's not a lie. scott brown's whole

warren's claims of native american heritage. scott brown cast doubt on those saying, i think character is important. now both sides are airing out the debate in tv spots across the country. >> i'm scott brown. i approve this message. >> elizabeth warren is trying to put questions about her heritage behind her. >> identified herself as a native american to employers. >> they have zero evidence of. >> she's facing tough questions about whether she claimed to be a minority for professional gain. >> she did give an answer. it keeps changing. >> anything else that will come out about you that you don't already know? >> you know, i don't think so, but who knows? >> as i kid i never asked for documentation when she talked about our native american heritage. i knew my family dchts like she was part cherokee and delaware so my parents had to elope. i never asked for, never got any benefit because of my heritage. the people who hired me said they didn't even know about it. i'm elizabeth warren. i approve this message. scott brown can continue attacking my family. but i'm going to keep

democratic challenger, elizabeth warren, at the university of massachusetts in lowell. it was the second of four scheduled debates as a new poll from "the boston globe" shows 18% of massachusetts voters still undecided and with warren holding a lead. right out of the gate, moderator david gregory asked about the controversy around elizabeth warren's claim to native american heritage. >> i never used the information about our native american heritage to get any advantage, not to apply to college, not to apply to law school, and not to get hired for any job. i was listed in a directory as -- i listed myself as native american. i was listed there. it's part of who i am. >> do you consider yourself a minority? >> i consider myself as having a native american background. that's what i said. that's what i am. >> no one is questioning what her parents told her when she was younger or all the way through that time frame. but when she was asked by "the boston herald" why is harvard touting her as a woman of color, a minority, a woman of color, she said she didn't know. and then after five weeks o

brown/elizabeth warren race. the increasingly nasty campaign and examine a few other head scratchers ahead on "now." . >>> andrew rosen is the fourth generation of rosenwatch tanks. find his mamly's hand made wooden tanks on roof tons. even today these tanks are shaped by hand with half century old tools. he says you don't throw out what works. you just build upon it. for more watch your business kwois sunday morning at 7:30 on msnbc. most of the pain i experience is in my knees. when i think of aspirin, i really think of it as that bottle in the back of my parents' medicine cabinet. finding bayer advanced was huge. i was really surprised by how well it worked. and i'd definitely use it again. put bayer advanced aspirin to the test for yourself at fastreliefchallenge.com. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is

brown and elizabeth warren, debated for the second time last night. the two were combative as they staked out opposite issues from jobs and bringing troops home. david gregory from "meet the press" as moderator, they clashed over brown's claim of partisan independence. >> if he's re-elected, that increases the odds that the republicans will control the senate and that he can block president obama's agenda. >> if you're going to comment on my record, i would at least have you refer to it -- >> can we just -- >> exme. >> i'm he not a student in your classroom. please let me respond. thank you. >> recent polls before the debate show elizabeth warren with a small lead over scott brown. >>> and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. joyriding may land one philadelphia child in jail. police are preparing to charge the 10-year-old with auto theft. surveillance video shows the young driver crashing the stolen van right into parked cars there. he did attempt to escape but was stopped by a witness and held until police arrived. >>> approximately 30 amtrak

:00 prm eastern time. coming up independence day or night in massachusetts. elizabeth warren and scott brown tried to dodge partisanship at every turn yet somehow the candidates got chippy. we will dissect and discuss round two ahead on "now." [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? let me put you on webcan... ...lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. thor's couture gets the most rewards of any small business credit card. your boa! [ garth ] thor's small business earns double miles on every purchase, every day! ahh, the new fabrics, put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? the spiked heels are working. wait! [ garth ] great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? [ cheers and applause ] >>> after the br

independence day or night in massachusetts. elizabeth warren and scott brown tried to dodge partisanship at every turn yet somehow the candidates got chippy. we will dissect and discuss round two ahead on "now." [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso. i just finished a bowl of your new light chicken pot pie soup and it's so rich and creamy... is it really 100 calories? let me put you on webcan... ...lean roasted chicken... and a creamy broth mmm i can still see you. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. [ male announcer ] you start your day... love you, too. ...thinking about what's important to you -- your family... ...the mortgage... the kids' college tuition. [ cellphone ringing ] but life insurance? [ horn honking ] life is unpredictable. that's why at fidelity life we want you to think about term life insurance -- taking care of your family's future expenses if something happens to you. it's easy. we get to know you and your needs, then give you our best quote and our competitors'. you choose and save up to 70%. that could mean $250,000 of coverage for just $15 a month. we

occupy wall street, scott brown's staffers went to an elizabeth warren event and tried to deliver this cake to her. get it it? elizabeth warren is like a occupy activist. sohe ga cake fm sct n. their stunt was trying to deliver this melting sheet cake. they were so proud to have it they tweeted a picture of themselves trying to pull off the stunt. there's a long history of people trying to provoke their opponents so they do something emas oma. if they could have that reaction while someone is filming, that would be great. what i'm about to show you is not that. it's not run of the mill politics. it's not delivering an unapaling sheet cakeo your opntch f hilarious. this is different. here's the context. at last week's debate between scott brown and elizabeth warren, senator brown right ou of the gate, before anything was discussed, firsthing scott own cklithre for being native american because he says, she looks white to him. >> she checked the box claiming she was a native american. clearly, she's not. >> stt b is also one-man racial litmus test. don't know if your great grandmoth

elizabeth warren has turned into a flat out racial campaign with the republican incumbent running against his challenger just straight up on the basis of race. everybody has been reporting on this campaign as if that fact about it is normal, but it's really not normal. it's not even normal in a country where we still have native american football mascots. the brown campaign running on race got worse today. it's hard to believe, but it did. that story is ahead. >>> reelection campaign of scott brown of massachusetts is not afraid of stunts. it's like an ann colter column. except it's a senate campaign. so for example, earlier this month on the anniversary of occupy wall street, scott brown's staffers went to an elizabeth warren event and tried to deliver this cake to her. get it it? elizabeth warren is like an occupy activist. so she gets a cake from scott brown. their stunt was trying to deliver this melting sheet cake. they were so proud to have it they tweeted a picture of themselves trying to pull off the stunt. there's a long history of people trying to provoke their opponents so they

. >>> elsewhere, the candidates for the u.s. senate in massachusetts, scott brown and elizabeth warren, debated for the second time last night. the two were combative as they staked out opposite positions on issues ranging from job creation to bringing home troops from afghanistan. nbc's david gregory of "meet the press" was the moderator, and they also clashed over brown's claim of partisan independence. >> if he is re-elected, that increases the odds that the republicans will control the senate and that he can block president obama's agenda. >> if you're going to comment on my record, i would at least have you refer to it -- >> can we -- >> excuse me, excuse me. >> go ahead, senator. >> excuse me, i'm not a student in your classroom. please let me respond. thank you. >> recent polls before the debate showed elizabeth warren with a small lead over scott brown. >>> and last night on "the rachel maddow show," congressman barney frank weighed in on the debate. he explained scott brown's stance and what he believes are inconsistencies in his campaign. >> here's a man who claims he's suppo

painting elizabeth warren as native american. of course, she helped maybe create that issue, but is this the issue that is going to help him win? >> i think this is the beginning of a long campaign that he is going to run. the fact fors on the ground all argue in warren's favor. there are going to be -- >> bill: democratic registration -- >> exactly 7 or 8,000 new voters who didn't vote for scott brown back in the special election in 2010, because they just didn't come out to vote. now he has to do something to undermine her credibility. at the moment the polls are showing elizabeth warren on a pretty strong rise. so scott brown has to do something to change this race. and i think elizabeth warren demonstrated it is an issue of concern for her. she herself went up with a response ad hours after scott brown did, which tells me they believe that is something of concern. >> bill: yeah. and she had addressed it before, but she can't take any chances. all right. reid wilson, thanks for your time this morning. and thanks for all of those free "hot lines" over the year. we'll be right back

about kelsey warren, the chairman and ceo of energy transfer partners, the stock i hate the most of all the names on my charitable trust. that's right. he's been on the show many times. this has been a remarkably poor performer, it's 8% plus yield can't even seem to break the fall. why has etp become such a loser? i think it's pretty simple. warren, the ceo seems to be lacking discipline. he keeps buying and buying and buying things, he can't seem to stop himself. piling debt on top of debt, forcing his company to do equity deals like the one right after coming on this show and helping to move the stock higher with the promises of good growth in 2013. talk about shameful behavior. now, i will say this, i'm wary of telling you to sell energy transfer partners right here when my charitable trust has dug in its heels. hoping he'll get the company out of the hole he's dug. i believe the stock can pop. but warren has not been able to grow the distribution. i say he's done the impossible. created an oil and gas pipeline company that should've been able to take advantage of all the new finds o

warren. incumbent senator scott brown has criticized her for claiming she is part mid-american without providing documentation. on the video, they are seen making gestures and chant during a rally of supporters. she says she is appalled by the footage. >> [indiscernible] >> those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. >> we welcome our listeners and viewers from around the country and the world. greek workers have launched their first general strike since the country's conservative-led coalition government came to power in june. greeks are converging today outside the parliament today in athens. protests are scheduled in over 60 cities. the nation's ports, airports, banks, schools, and tourist sites are all shut down. >> the european union will never be in europe for the workers then bent every country should fight to detach itself from the european union. that is the movement that should be taking place. >> thousands of people surrounded the parliament to protest austerity measures. the occupy congress protest ca

democratic rival elizabeth warren faced off in their first debate last night. >>> the faa is investigating why passenger seats came loose on three different american airlines flights. the latest incident happened monday aboard a new york to miami flight. on saturday a similar problem forced a boston to miami flight to make an emergency landing and american says that same plane was involved in a loose seat incident last week which they thought had been fixed. fortunately no one on the flights was hurt. both of the boeing 757s involved had recently gone through maintenance that involved moving the seats. american says there could be a problem with the way the seats fit into the tracks on the floor. >>> a u.s. special forces soldier has died this morning in afghanistan. the service member was killed in an ied attack in the country's south. a shooting this morning south of tucson, arizona, has left one border patrol agent dead and another wounded. the fbi is investigating. the area is known as a major drug smuggling corridor. >>> six crew members have been arrested after a boat a

massachusetts came on too strong in his debate last night with elizabeth warren. >>> let who's had another etch-a-sketch moment. mitt romney says he won't revoke the self-deportation for illegal immigrants. >>> let me fin wish a behind the scene looks in what happened in the great kennedy/nixon debates. i've got it for you. this is "hardball," the place for politics. >>> ron brown's in "the national journal" wrote, the main reason obama is doing better in battleground states has to do with his increase from white working women. working class women. keep in mind, back in 2008, nationally, obama only got 41% of that group's vote. well, today in michigan 46% say they support the president. in florida it's 48%. nevada, new hampshire, wisconsin, and pennsylvania, the number hovers in those cases around 50%. in ohio and iowa, it's up to 52%. looking good for the president with white working class women. what an interesting category to be moving ahead in. we'll be right back. >>> welcome back to "hardball." today we saw a blow to the nationwide republican effort to suppress democratic tur

too strong in his debate last night with elizabeth warren. we'll go to the videotape and look very closely. >>> look who has another etch-a-sketch moment. mitt romney now says he won't revoke obama's two-year visas for qualified young illegal immigrants. well, maybe he's seen the polling on latinos lately which are devastating. >>> let me finish with a behind the scenes look at what really happened at the great kennedy/nixon debates. you will love these stories i have dug up. this is "hardball," the place for politics. and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. [ male announcer ] how do you make 70,000 trades a second... ♪ reach one customer at a time? ♪ or help doctors turn billions of bytes of shared information... ♪ into a fifth anniversary of remission? ♪ whatever your business challenge, dell has the technology and services to help you solve it. >>> roun brown's in the national journal wrote the main reason oen is doing better in b

. >> exactly, i don't think people realize it. mitt romney like warren buffett was talking about a lower rate to the reality. these people are paying their fair share, it is not ordinary income and people have to realize that ordinary income is taxed at a higher rate than passive income. >> so working people out there do to follow mr. romney's lead? >> there are a number of things you can do to help out. for someone who is an ordinary earner, absolutely, they can take advantage of your willingness to part with money and use appreciated stock if you have that. there is always, i think, the great benefit of contributing to your retirement plan. some people might say you are converting what could be capital gains or dividends into ordinary income in the future. the reality is that deferral, for 20 or 30 years, it will outweigh the risks. they are likely to go to ordinary tax rates and let's not forget untempered at the income tax. ashley: there is so much uncertainty of what is coming down the pipe. >> you contribute to the 401k. >> this is something that an investor buys them a look

, but despises cell phones and the web. warren buffett bearish on technology. angelina jolie jokes about her technophobia. and last year wynonna ryder. >> the man doesn't e-mail or carry a phone. >> i am a millionaire that's the difference. >> reporter: the lack of access? >> for me it doesn't matter. you see, i think it is you who is sweating this. >> reporter: okay, christopher walken. for us working stiffs we can't escape technology, morning, noon, and night. the power to unplug is a luxury we can't afford. well, maybe just this once. tuning in and logging out, tanya rivero, abc news, new york. >> i dream of turning it off. >> you can. you can. >> i can. but i'll get in trouble. it brings us to our facebook question of the day. >> we want to know honestly hong do you think you could go without e-mail. log on to wnnfans.com. and weigh in. >> i think i would rather. i honestly think i could go without e-mail except for work purposes, i would probably get fired. i look communicating in short sentences, get right to the point. i can do the texting. >> all about the text. text is my favori

democrat elizabeth warren trade blows in their second debate for the massachusetts senate seat. warren once again facing the heat for becoming a native american. >> i have never used native american to get into college or law school or not to get hired in any job. >> senator brown making an appeal to all voters. >>> i don't work for anybody. i work for the people of massachusetts. that's what being an independent is all about. a good idea is a good idea regardless of where it comes from. that is evidenced my voting record and being named the least pardoned senator in the united states senate. >> it shows warren with 49 percent of the vote and brown with 45 percent. that's within a margin of error. if you have peanut butter in your cabinet it is 101 products after salmonella was link to do trader joe's peanut butter. 31 people have been sick in 19 states. no deaths have been reported. some of the brand names here they are included in the recall archer farms, earth balance, fresh and easy, late july and natural value. >>> this is a comeback journey it took 7 years to complete. he will ac

profile senate rate in the country between scott brown and elizabeth warren has turned into a flat out racial campaign with the republican incumbent running against his challenger just straight up on the basis of race. everybody has been reporting on this campaign as if that fact about it is normal, but it's really not normal. it's not even normal in a country where we still have native american football mascots. the brown campaign running on race got worse today. it's hard to believe, but it did. that story is ahead. producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. why not take a day to explore your own backyard? with two times the points on travel, you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. chase sapphire preferred. there's more to enjoy. look! she wears the scarlet markings! [ man ] out! your kind is not welcome here! nor your o

? elizabeth warren is like an occupy activist. so she gets a cake from scott brown. their stunt was trying to delivethis melting sheet cake. theyere so proud to have it eyetic o themselves trying to pull off the stunt. there's a long history of people trying to provoke their opponents so they do something embarrassing or damaging if they cod ha thareaction ul t.oon filngat at i'm about to show you is not that. it's not run of the mill politics. it's not delivering an unappealing sheet cake to your opponent which you find hirious. this is different. here's the context. at last week'sebat bwe scotbrow a elizabeth warren, senator brown right out of the gate, before anything was discussed, first thing scott brown attacked elizabeth warren for being native american because he says, she looks white toim. e a native american.xlag clearly, she's not. >> scott brown is also a one-n racial litmus test. don't kno i your great granother was czech? ask scott brown. he can tellight away. he could count the number of white grandparents president obama had by look iing at his j line or his posture or some

came on too strong in his debate last night with elizabeth warren. >>> let who's had another etch-a-sketch moment. mitt romney says he won't revoke the self-deportation for illegal immigrants. >>> let me fin wish a behind the scene looks in what happened in the great kennedy/nixon debates. i've got it for you. this is "hardball," the place for politics. and every day since, we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america. bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last year. bp invests more in america than in any other country. in fact, over the last five years, no

country. republican scott walker is doubling down on his claim that challenger elizabeth warren lied about being native american. things got ugly this weekend when brown's campaign staff started taunting with racist chants. >> a boston television station says four of the people are member of scott brown's campaign staff. >> a boston television station says four of the people are member of scott brown's campaign staff. one reportedly works in brown's united states senate office. what are the grounds for firing in his office any way? brown says the chanting is certainly something i don't condone, but he doesn't stop there. he actually repeats the attack, which inspired his staffers in the first place. he says the real offense is that warren said she was white and then checked the box saying that she was native american. then she changed her profile in her law directory once she made her tenure. so brown doesn't want to talk about massachusetts' economy, education or health care. he's fixated on elizabeth warren's racial heritage. in fact, he's launching this new attack ad. and race is

the senate candidate in massachusetts, scott brown and elizabeth warren. this one hour debate courtesy of the university of massachusetts, and the boston herald, moderated by david gregory. >> moderator of meet the press and welcome to the center of massachusetts co-sponsored by the university and the boston herald. i am joined by the two candidates, miss elizabeth warren and a senator scott brown. welcome to both of you. a thank you for being here. just a note about the rules, basically there are none. no set time limits. what i hope is a healthy discussion of the important issues facing this country and in this race. i can't been -- i champion the to a few -- the two of you. i would like to begin where it seems this campaign has been, in the area of the personal. some personal friction and issues between the two of you. ms. warren, i want to start with questions about your native american heritage. there seems to be a lot of questions about this. i want to see if we can clear these things up. you have listed yourself as a minority in a faculty directory in 1986. you continue

elizabeth warren's heritage has been scrutinized whether she's of native american descent. is that what an american indian is supposed to look like? careful. there is no answer. if the candidate grew up thinking she is native american by heritage, who are we to say she is not. were would we define her based on narrow constructs of race. it's because we have confusion about what race is. if she has one drop of native american blood, she is, if she doesn't she's not. but the people of massachusetts may be giving all of us an invitation to a long overdue discussion about race. at the table. msnbc contributor and the washington post jonathan capehart and victor defrancesco and jamaal simpsons and national republican consul stant katon dawson. i'm taking professorial privilege here. we need to have a conversation on race all the time. but part of it is we need a conversation on what race actually is. >> it's a social construct nevertheless. it's a concrete pillar in the society. not just in the u.s. if you look at lat inamerica. they make the u.s. look weak. they have 16 different categorizatio

initial reaction to the elizabeth warren/scott brown debate. >> scott brown fell into the trap that sometimes male politicians fall into when they debate women. he looked overbearing and angry. and you particularly can't do that when you're debating a woman candidate. i thought he was in a lot of trouble as a result of this. he's behind anyway, but now he looks mad, angry, and i think that's a -- >> okay. well, that race is fascinating. the debate was last night and we have fascinating clips of that. and also the look at preparations of the presidential debates a day away. but first, we'll start with afghanistan. nato's secretary general says there's a possibility that western forces could be withdrawn from afghanistan more quickly than previously planned. he suggested the deadly spike of insider attacks has hit the morale of former troops serving in the war zone. and today's front page of the "new york times" claims the u.s. is abandoning its hopes for a peace deal with the taliban. the "times" reports american officials are essentially giving up on what was once a critical compone